Scanner problems

We had hoped by now to identify the full slate of hopefuls for the Florida education commissioner's job. But the folks at Proact Search, the group heading up the search, say their scanner went on the blitz this morning, after posting just two more applications. They hope to have everything online by the end of the day. (That could be midnight, central time. The Wisconsin-based firm would not commit.)

In the meantime, we can tell you that one of the candidates, lobbyist and consultant Thomas Watkins Jr. (shown here), served as Michigan's superintendent of public instruction from 2001 through 2005 and, before that, headed the Palm Beach County Economic Council. Watkins currently also writes columns for Michigan Chronicle Online, which can be found here. Another of the aspirants, Joseph Marinelli, is a district superintendent for a New York State supervisory region of four counties. He was a finalist for the Pinellas superintendent job that Clayton Wilcox won, and an applicant for the Hillsborough superintendent job that MaryEllen Elia holds.

About the blog

Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.